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"The other side": A narrative study of south African community members' experiences with an international service-learning program

Doughty, Jeremy R.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1459280801

Abstract Details

2016, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, Higher Education Administration.
The purpose of my narrative study was to hear stories about how community members are affected by international service-learning programs. At a time when universities and colleges in the United States emphasize internationalization efforts and the civic purpose of higher education, more institutions are designing and delivering international service-learning programs. More questions must be raised regarding how these programs affect communities. Despite the centrality of reciprocity in the service-learning paradigm, the extant literature primarily focuses on the effects of international service-learning programs on students. I spent two weeks collecting data at a primary school in Ithemba, a predominantly Black African, Xhosa-speaking township in South Africa characterized by one of my participants as “the other side.” Three participants at Korhaan School—Bhejile (the principal), Dunyiswa (the deputy principal), and Peline (a teacher)—engaged in two semi-structured interviews and one focus group. To mask the identity of my participants, I selected pseudonyms for the two universities, the primary school, and the community where the primary school is situated, and I use the names selected by my participants throughout the manuscript. Three key findings emerged from the data. First, my participants’ stories underscored the interconnectedness of the community and the community-based organization. Second, the students who participate in the international service-learning program bring a myriad of benefits to Korhaan School, and the students’ actions align with ubuntu, a cultural framework that shapes an individual’s engagement with others. Third, areas for improvement exist for the international service-learning program. A number of implications for higher education professionals are presented as a result of the findings. First, faculty members and practitioners must involve community members as co-educators in the long-term life cycle of an international service-learning program. Second, U.S. higher education professionals must learn from international models of service. Third, faculty members and practitioners who design international service-learning programs must restructure pre-departure programming to include domestic service opportunities, academic preparation beyond surface-level knowledge, and the postcolonial perspective. These strategies will help higher education professionals construct meaningful partnerships with community-based organizations that are characterized by thick reciprocity—partnerships that are more inclusive, just, and reciprocal.
Maureen Wilson, Ph.D. (Advisor)
Ksenija Glusac, Ph.D. (Other)
Christina Lunceford, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Dafina-Lazarus Stewart, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
217 p.
Higher Education Administration
international service-learning; service-learning; study abroad; South Africa; international education; community; community engagement; reciprocity; higher education; student affairs; narrative inquiry

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Doughty, J. R. (2016). "The other side": A narrative study of south African community members' experiences with an international service-learning program [Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1459280801

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Doughty, Jeremy. "The other side": A narrative study of south African community members' experiences with an international service-learning program. 2016. Bowling Green State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1459280801.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Doughty, Jeremy. ""The other side": A narrative study of south African community members' experiences with an international service-learning program." Doctoral dissertation, Bowling Green State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu1459280801

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Bowling Green State University and OhioLINK.